Children’s use of non-dental services to treat oral pain is costing the NHS £2.3m a year.

That’s according to new research by the Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), which found thousands of children with oral pain are going to pharmacies, A&E and other non-dental services, instead of their dentist.

The study found that 65% of pharmacy visits by parents were to get pain medications to treat children’s oral pain.

‘The fact that only 30% of children with oral pain had seen a dentist before going to a pharmacy highlights a concerning underuse of dental services,’ lead researcher, Dr Vanessa Muirhead from QMUL, said.

‘Children with oral pain need to see a dentist for a definitive diagnosis and to treat any tooth decay.

‘Not treating a decayed tooth can result in more pain, abscesses and possible damage to children’s permanent teeth.

‘These children had not only failed to see a dentist before their pharmacy visit, they had seen GPs and a range of other health professionals outside dentistry.

‘This inappropriate and overuse of multiple health services including A&E is costing the NHS a substantial amount of money at a time when reducing waste is a Government priority.’